Through the Fire
by stirringofmysoul
Summary: Conclusion to the stories Back To You and The Heart of Life.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter One

Sounds of murmuring slipped into Sydney's ears causing her to stir beneath the blankets her limbs were tangled through. As she neared the end of her pregnancy sleep was very hard to come by and the last thing she wanted was to be awake right now. Try as she might the soft noises continued to disturb her.

"What are you doing?" Sydney asked, still not opening her eyes yet.

"Talking to the baby," Adrian replied.

"Oh, well…can you talk to her later?" Sydney asked.

"Her? Why do you think it's a girl?" Adrian responded. The pair decided they wanted to be surprised and had opted not to find out the sex of their child.

"Okay, talk to him later," she amended. "Just stop talking."

"Your mother is quite the fuss when she doesn't get her beauty sleep," he informed the baby. "Not that she isn't beautiful already. We'll talk more later," he added and kissed Sydney's bump before readjusting so he could lay down next to his wife.

Knowing full well that she wasn't going back to sleep anytime soon; she tilted her head, eyes now open, to look at Adrian. "What do you tell the baby anyway?" she asked, avoiding the he/she confusion.

"That's between me and the baby," Adrian explained. "Why do you think I do it while you're asleep?"

"You're going to get this baby firmly on Team Daddy, huh?" Sydney teased him.

"Without a doubt," Adrian joked.

"So now that you've woken me up I'd like breakfast," Sydney told him.

"With an attitude like that you'll be lucky if you get a bowl of cereal," Adrian scoffed.

"Don't make me play the pregnancy card," Sydney playfully warned him.

"Please…as if you'd ever get a no out of me," Adrian said. He smiled and leaned over to peck her lips before sliding out of bed and heading towards the kitchen.

Sydney attempted to stretch and get more comfortable, but she knew it was a futile effort. Every part of her was huge and most movement was slightly awkward at the least. She had a feeling the last weeks of her pregnancy were going to feel the longest.

Sydney and Adrian had been back at Court for almost six months now and as much as Sydney wanted to dislike life in Pennsylvania she couldn't. Here within the guarded walls she didn't have to worry about her own safety, as well as Adrian and Hadley's. And having family and friends close by was a nice perk, especially when a baby-sitter was needed. She continued her work for Mr. Casey, though assignments involving travel had been cut down in the past few months.

Sydney's fears of being mistreated now that she was just an ordinary human remained unfounded. She suspected that had to do with her husband's close relationship with the queen and her sister, but nonetheless she was grateful. The only downside to living at Court was the lack of opportunities for Kenzie and her own family to visit. Zoe and her father were usually busy with assignments and her mother, Carly, and Kenzie weren't exactly comfortable there. Not that she could blame them. It was a lot to process.

The other biggest hurdles to cross after the move were telling Hadley about her heritage and telling the Court doctors about the little girl's abilities. Sydney and Adrian prepped for weeks about what and how they would explain the vampire world to Hadley. They role played different scenarios and tried to think of every possible question their daughter might ask. Luckily, Hadley had a very imaginative and open mind and didn't seem very fazed by the truth about who she was. She was mostly just grateful she didn't have to drink blood.

Sydney was still reluctant about sharing Hadley's magic with anyone, but eventually she and Adrian both met with Dr. Brooks. He was a kind and knowledgeable man and eased their fears about Hadley's condition. Twice a week Hadley underwent special tests and activities that allowed Dr. Brooks to study her development. Either Sydney or Adrian was always present for these sessions. The doctor felt he was making a lot of headway and he even had called a specialist from overseas to assist him in his research. Dr. Smirnov was to arrive any day now.

"Mommy?" Hadley asked, peeking into the bedroom.

"Hey you…come on in," Sydney encouraged her daughter.

Hadley stepped into the room and crawled up onto the bed. "Is the baby awake or sleeping?" she asked her mother.

Sydney slid her hand up and down Hadley's back soothingly. "The baby is pretty squirmy so I'd say awake," she told her.

"Oh, okay. Can you go backs to sleep then?" Hadley asked her.

"Why do you want me to go back to sleep?" Sydney asked.

"Because I needs to talk to Max," Hadley explained, using her pet name for the baby. She placed her little palm on Sydney's belly.

"And I can't know what you're saying?" Sydney asked.

Hadley shook her head no. "Secret stuff," she replied.

Sydney chuckled. "Okay, Had. You go ahead," she told her and closed her eyes.

Hadley leaned over so she was nose to nose with her mother, her breath tickling her skin. Once she was convinced Sydney was asleep she pressed her face against Sydney's belly and started speaking, "Max, I forgots to tell you something. When I was with the doctor I hads to build a tower with blocks. He said I couldn't uses my hands so I had to think real hard. And whens the tower was done it fell over and the doctor got a boo-boo. I didn't gets in trouble because it's not like real school. But if that happens in real school you gets in trouble. So be careful," she told her sibling.

Sydney pressed her lips together to keep from laughing at Hadley's words of wisdom. She heard a creak in the floorboard and then Adrian's voice. "What are you doing, monkey?" Adrian asked her.

"Talking to Max," Hadley explained.

"Well, tell Max you love him…her…and then go to the kitchen. It's time to eat," Adrian said.

"Loves you lots," Hadley said, patting Sydney's belly before doing as her father said.

Adrian sat down on the bed. "Are you really asleep?" he asked her.

Sydney opened her eyes. "No," she said with a chuckle.

Adrian idly rubbed his fingertips up and down her arm. "Do you want to eat in here or with us in the kitchen?" he asked.

"I'm okay to get up," Sydney said. She slid her hand into Adrian's so he could help pull her into a sitting position. Once she was upright she scooted off the bed and onto her feet. "Smells good," she commented as she waddled towards the door.

Adrian kept his arm around her as they headed to the kitchen. "Waffles a la Adrian," he explained.

"Is that like a la mode?" she snickered.

"Oh, way better," Adrian replied. He pulled out her chair so she could sit next to Hadley.

Sydney glanced down at the newspaper as Adrian served the two of them. "Wow, the vote is next week?" she said, observing the front page headline. After years of battling the final ruling on the law stating "a royal family must consist of at least two people" was about to be overturned.

"Can you believe it?" Adrian said. He started to cut up Hadley's waffles for her. "I didn't think the day would ever come."

"Me either," she said honestly. "But I guess we should have known better than to doubt Lissa. Jill must be relieved."

"I think they all are," Adrian said, pushing Hadley's plate towards her and then starting on Sydney's waffles.

Sydney continued reading the article before speaking up, "Extra security on site?" she commented.

"Didn't I mention that?" he asked, sliding her plate towards her.

"No…wait, did you just cut my food for me?" Sydney asked with a chuckle.

Adrian laughed. "Sorry…force of habit," he told her. "But I thought I told you. The most recent graduating class from St. Vladimir's is going to be at Court until a few weeks after the vote. Just a precaution."

"Are we going to have a guardian?" she asked curiously. Though Adrian was royal he didn't have a guardian of his own.

"Um, two, I think," Adrian said between mouthfuls of his breakfast.

"Huh…that's going to be weird," Sydney commented.

"It's only for a little while," Adrian said with a shrug.

"Yeah, I guess," Sydney replied. With a final glance she set the paper down and began to eat herself. She couldn't shake a feeling she had inside of her. This law had been the catalyst for her assignment in Palm Springs. It was what brought her, Adrian, Jill, and Eddie together. Now with it being overturned…it seemed as though everyone was going to get a happy ending.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two

Sydney, Hadley, Jill, and Eddie made their way towards Dr. Brooks' lab with Brett, one of the new Ivashkov family guardians, in tow. Their second guardian, Avery, was with Adrian. According to Lissa, Brett and Avery had been at the top of their graduating class. Brett definitely looked like he took his training seriously. He towered over Adrian, his dark blonde spiked hair only adding to his height. He appeared quite imposing, save for his kind brown eyes.

"It's so awkward having a guardian," Sydney said softly. She didn't want Brett to think she was ungrateful for his service.

"Why?" Jill whispered back. "I don't think it's a big deal."

Sydney rolled her eyes. "That's because you're dating your guardian," she pointed out.

Jill chuckled. "Okay, I guess that has something to do with it," she agreed. Jill smiled over her shoulder at Eddie and he smiled back.

"Do you think you're going to get married?" Sydney asked her. It had never been kosher for royals, or any Moroi, to marry their guardians, but a lot had changed over the past few years in the way of tradition. Not limited to an ex-Alchemist marrying a royal Moroi.

"I hope so. We're going to discuss it after I graduate," Jill explained to her.

"What about kids?" Sydney wondered.

"Don't you think you're getting a little ahead of yourself?" Jill snickered.

Sydney chuckled. "Sorry. I guess I have babies on the brain," she explained.

"I still can't believe you didn't find out what you're having," Jill whined.

"There are so few surprises left in life…why ruin the biggest one you can have?" Sydney asked her.

"So you can buy the right kind of clothes and paint the nursery properly, duh," Jill responded.

"That's why you're studying fashion and I'm not," Sydney said with a laugh.

"Excuse me," a man with a thick Russian accent said to them. Sydney and Jill both looked up startled. "I'm looking for Dr. Brooks."

"You must be Dr. Smirnov," Brett said. That's when Sydney realized she, Jill, and Hadley were now closely flanked by the two guardians.

"Yes, Alexander Smirnov," the doctor introduced himself. "I'm beginning work with Dr. Brooks today, but I'm afraid I'm a bit turned around."

"You can follow us, sir. We're on our way to see him now," Eddie explained.

"Excellent," Dr. Smirnov replied with a smile. "Please lead the way."

Dr. Smirnov couldn't have been more different in appearance from Dr. Brooks. The latter was an older Moroi with graying hair and quite a few wrinkles spread across his face. He was on the small side for his kind, measuring a few inches shorter than Sydney. The new specialist, on the other hand, was extremely tall with model good looks. His black hair was styled similar to Adrian's trademark bed head look and there was a playful look in his gray eyes. Sydney would hazard a guess that he was around forty.

"Hi, hi," Hadley said to Dr. Brooks, announcing their presence as the group entered the lab.

"Hello, oh my…it's quite the group today. Ah, I see you met Dr. Smirnov," Dr. Brooks said as he adjusted his glasses on his nose.

"Briefly," Dr. Smirnov replied. He shook hands with Dr. Brooks and then exchanged formal pleasantries with Sydney and the others. "And you must be Hadley," he said, kneeling down to the little girl's eye line.

"Hadley Adrian Ivashkov," Hadley introduced herself and then gave him her hand to shake.

Dr. Smirnov smiled and shook her hand. "It's nice to meet you. We're going to be working together today," he told her.

"Cool," Hadley said with a smile. "I likes the way you talk."

"I just came here from Russia," Dr. Smirnov explained.

"Oh, my mommy used to lives in Russia," Hadley replied.

"If you'll just wait in the other room," Dr. Brooks said, gesturing to the door.

Brett remained in the lab while the other three sat down in the waiting area. There was a two way mirror so they could watch as Hadley went through her activities.

"Are you excited about the vote next week?" Sydney asked after they were all settled.

"It'll be nice to know there's not a bounty on my head anymore," Jill said to her.

"I'd never let anything happen to you," Eddie piped in.

"I know, honey," Jill replied. "I have to stroke his ego," she said in a staged whisper.

"I'm not deaf," Eddie said with a snort.

Sydney laughed herself. "It has to be a step in the right direction for a lot of other archaic legislation too," she reasoned.

"Yeah, for sure," Jill said, obviously not really interested in talking politics. "Dr. Smirnov is pretty cute," she said.

"Still not deaf," Eddie said.

"Not Brett, though, he's too serious," Jill commented.

"Why do I bother?" Eddie asked, playfully exasperated.

"You two are terrible," Sydney said with a laugh.

"Do you think any of these tests are helping Hadley?" Eddie asked, changing the topic. Sydney and Adrian rarely discussed the progress of these sessions with anyone.

"I'm not really sure," Sydney admitted. "Her outbursts are fewer…kind of more controlled," she explained.

"That sounds like a step in the right direction," Eddie said to her.

"Dr. Brooks wants to study her brain waves. I'm a little nervous about him poking around in her head," Sydney said.

"Why did Dr. Smirnov come all the way here?" Jill asked, tearing her eyes away from the window.

"He knew another Dhampir who possessed magic," Sydney revealed.

"Really?" Jill asked curiously. "I thought Hadley was the only one."

"This guy had air magic so it's not exactly the same," Sydney replied.

"Do they think Hadley has spirit?" Eddie asked.

"It's a possibility because of Adrian," Sydney replied. "But it's more likely something totally different. Like the magic Mrs. Terwilliger says I have."

"Why aren't they studying you and Adrian too?" Jill asked.

"Maybe they will in the future. I think right now it's more about helping Hadley control the outbursts. Besides I don't think that would be safe while I was pregnant," Sydney said.

The rest of the hour passed with the trio talking about new baby Ivashkov. Dr. Brooks called them back into the lab via the intercom.

"Today I just wanted Hadley to become comfortable with Dr. Smirnov," Dr. Brooks explained. "He and I are going to go through her case file and we'll have some new things to try next time."

"That sounds great. Thank you both," Sydney said politely.

Jill scooped up a rather tired Hadley and returned both Sydney and the little girl back to their apartment. Everyone exchanged good-byes and Sydney put Hadley down for a nap.

"Sweetheart?" Sydney asked, poking her head into Adrian's studio.

"Oh, hey…I didn't hear you guys come in," Adrian said. He set down his brush and wiped his hands on his pant legs. "How'd it go?" he asked.

Sydney walked the rest of the way inside and sat down on the couch. "It was fine. That specialist from Russia arrived," she told him.

Adrian flopped down beside her. "What is he like?" he asked.

"According to Jill he's hot," Sydney said with a laugh.

"I'm sure Eddie appreciated hearing that," Adrian chuckled.

"But anyway, he and Hadley just kind of got to know each other today so nothing too dramatic," Sydney replied. "And you're in charge of supervising the next session," she reminded him.

"Yes, got it," Adrian assured her.

"What are you working on?" Sydney asked.

"Those pieces I sold were shipped this morning so now I'm trying to finish the painting for the baby's room," Adrian said.

"You're running out of time," Sydney said to him.

"Please, I still have a month," Adrian insisted.

Sydney rubbed her burgeoning belly. "I wish it was sooner. I'm so tired," she said.

"Yeah, because when the baby gets here you're going to get all kinds of rest," Adrian snickered.

"Of course I will," Sydney said with a smile. "You'll be doing all the heavy lifting and I can just relax."

"Oh, right…how did I forget that?" he asked. He gave her bump a kiss and then pecked her lips. "I love you, pretty."

Sydney pecked his lips back. "I love you too," she said.

"Now that I've got you in a good mood…" Adrian trailed off.

"What did you do?" Sydney asked him.

"I didn't DO anything," Adrian huffed. "Why would you say that?"

Sydney gave him a look.

"Okay, fine! But it's nothing like that," Adrian said. "My dad invited us over for dinner."

"Seriously?" Sydney asked skeptically.

"I know, I know…but I figure if he actually wants to see Hadley then we should run with it," Adrian said.

"Yeah, you're right," Sydney agreed. "But if I'm going to make it through dinner…"

"You'll need a lot of wine?" Adrian offered.

She laughed. "No, I need a nap. Help me back to our room," she said as she pushed herself up to her feet.


	3. Chapter 3

_Thank you for all the kinds reviews!_

Chapter Three

"Does my bow look okays?" Hadley asked, squeezing Sydney's hand slightly so her mother would look down at her.

Sydney cast her eyes towards her daughter. "You look very pretty," she assured her.

"Okays, good," Hadley said with a little sigh of relief.

"Are you nervous, monkey?" Adrian asked their daughter.

"Nope, nope," Hadley replied as she touched the bow with her free hand.

Sydney shot Adrian a look. Mr. Ivashkov had never been openly hostile in front of Hadley, but the little girl had once overheard her grandfather using some choice words to describe Adrian and Sydney. Sydney had talked about it with her and explained that nothing that was said had anything to do with her. During their time back at Court they had only visited with Mr. Ivashkov a few times and Hadley had never been edgy or anything, but tonight seemed different. Sydney sometimes wondered if Hadley sensed things other couldn't.

Adrian knocked on the front door to his father's home. Brett walked around the side of the house to check the perimeter while Avery stood behind the trio. Sydney had dealt with all kinds of Dhampirs before, but something about Avery was off putting. The female guardian stood quite a bit shorter than Sydney, but with her brown hair cut rather severely and her blue eyes always flashing she came across as standoffish. Sydney knew she was just taking her position seriously, but she wished she'd stop grimacing one in awhile.

"Everything seems in order," Brett reported as he joined the family again. The guardian smiled down reassuringly at Hadley. She granted him a smile of her own.

"Thanks, Brett," Adrian said as the door swung opened.

Mr. Ivashkov's maid greeted them politely. She took everyone's coats and guided them into the living room. Avery left to do a sweep of the house while Brett remained behind.

Mr. Ivashkov was already seated in his arm chair, sipping from a crystal tumbler. "Welcome, welcome," he said. He stood up as they walked into the room, setting his glass down.

Adrian and his father exchanged handshakes as Hadley half hid behind Sydney. "Say hi," Sydney whispered to her.

"Nice to see you, Hadley," Mr. Ivashkov said. He bent over slightly so he was closer to his granddaughter.

"Hi, hi," Hadley said softly, offering him a shy smile.

He patted her somewhat affectionately, somewhat awkwardly on the head before standing back upright. "Hello, Sydney," he greeted his daughter-in-law.

"Hi, thank you for inviting us tonight," she replied politely.

"Of course," Mr. Ivashkov replied. "How are you feeling?" he asked as he eyed her bump.

"Tired, mostly, but okay," Sydney replied.

"Then you should have a seat," he insisted.

Sydney and Hadley both sat down on the love seat and were quickly handed glasses of lemonade. Adrian stood at the bar, fixing a drink for himself.

Avery returned and stood next to Brett. In addition to Brett and Avery, Mr. Ivashkov's own guardians stood on the opposite side of the room.

"How do you like having guardians?" Mr. Ivashkov asked, taking his seat again.

"It's certainly different," Sydney said. "I'll be grateful when the ruling is settled."

"It's customary for you to have your own guardians, but you two have never really been much for tradition, have you?" Mr. Ivashkov commented.

Adrian rolled his eyes as he sat down next to Sydney. "I knew we couldn't go ten minutes without some kind of dig," he said.

"It was just a statement," Mr. Ivashkov assured him as he took a sip of his drink. "How are things going with Dr. Smirnov?" he asked.

"Pardon?" Adrian asked him.

"I spoke with him yesterday. He seems like a very intelligent man," Mr. Ivashkov said.

"Why were you talking to him?" Adrian asked rather tightly.

"Because I recommended that he come here," he said matter of factly.

Sydney nearly choked on her lemonade. "You did what?" she asked.

"I heard about his work from a colleague and talked it over with Dr. Brooks," Mr. Ivashkov said in a calm and even tone. "Dr. Brooks is a very kind man, but I think Dr. Smirnov will get you the results you need to contain this…situation."

"Situation?" Adrian asked, his tone quite strangled.

Brett, sensing this conversation was going to escalate rather quickly, spoke up, "Hadley, I need your help," he said to the little girl.

Hadley looked up at her mother and Sydney nodded. She gave Brett a grateful look as he escorted the little girl from the room.

"That was hardly necessary," Mr. Ivashkov scoffed. "This conversation involves her."

"She's a little girl, you idiot," Adrian said, standing up now. "You can't talk about her like she's not here when she's right in front of you!"

Sydney didn't have to have a bond with Adrian to see that her husband was running on a dangerous mixture of spirit and alcohol at the moment.

"If I wasn't involved in all of this she'd still be blowing up things around Court," Mr. Ivashkov. "You have to admit she's more under control now."

"Blowing up things? Are you listening to yourself? Nothing like that has ever happened. And she's not some situation that needs to be contained. She's a person," Adrian snapped.

"It was obviously my mistake to think we could talk about this like civilized adults," Mr. Ivashkov said. "You take everything as a direct attack. And if that's how it's going to be then fine, I'll speak freely. Your daughter is not only a Dhampir," he said, as if the word left a bad taste in his mouth. "but an abomination. She's unnatural and has to be fixed if you plan on continuing to give her the family name."

"She has the family name because she's a member of the family," Sydney said to him.

"Sydney, you're a reasonable woman. Don't you think if there's any hope for your new child to be normal we have to get to the root of the problem with Hadley?" Mr. Ivashkov asked her.

"The only thing I think right now is that we need to be on our way," Sydney replied. She would have liked to make a more dramatic exit, but in her condition the best she could do was heave herself off the couch and exit the living room at a snail's pace.

"Brett? Hadley?" she called as she walked into the foyer. She could still hear Adrian and his father arguing.

"Are you leaving, Mrs. Ivashkov?" the maid asked.

"Oh, yes…if you could show me where our things are?" Sydney asked her.

"I'll gather them. Just wait right here," she replied and scurried off to retrieve their belongings.

"Time to go?" Hadley asked as she and Brett walked in from the kitchen.

"Mommy's a little tired," Sydney said to her daughter.

"What abouts dinner?" Hadley asked.

"We'll eat at home," Sydney replied as Adrian, Avery, and the maid both walked into the hallway.

Brett helped Sydney and Hadley with their coats as Adrian stomped outside with Avery in tow. Sydney slung Adrian's coat over her arm and took Hadley's hand as they walked outside. Adrian wasn't anywhere in sight. Sydney groaned inwardly. This was not good.

"I can drive," Brett offered.

"That would be great. Thank you," Sydney said, rubbing her forehead. She gave him a weak smile.

Sydney got in the front seat while Brett put Hadley in her car seat. The ride home was short and quiet. Sydney made herself and Hadley grilled cheese and soup for dinner. Hadley didn't say much during the meal, only adding to Sydney's already anxious state.

"Where's daddy?" Hadley asked nervously as Sydney put her to bed.

Sydney smoothed some of Hadley's hair away from her face. "He just went to take a walk. He'll be home soon," she assured her.

"Will he comes in and say good night?" Hadley asked.

"The second he gets home he'll come in and tell you he loves you, promise," Sydney replied.

"Okays…did I do something bad?" Hadley asked softly, looking down at her blanket.

Sydney tipped her chin up so they were looking at each other. "You didn't do anything. You're the best girl, okay?" she said to her.

Hadley nodded, but still didn't look convinced. "Why don't we read a story?" Sydney suggested. She picked up a book from Hadley's nightstand and read until her daughter fell asleep. Sydney waited a little while longer to make sure she wasn't going to wake up. Once she was satisfied she was out for the night she walked towards the living room to wait for Adrian.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter Four

Sydney ended up falling asleep on the couch. She called Jill not too long after she put Hadley to bed to see if she could check in on Adrian through the bond. This was no easy task as the effects of Adrian's drinking made everything on Jill's end fuzzy. But at least she knew he wasn't in any immediate danger.

Sydney blinked her eyes open when she heard the front door shut. "Adrian?" she mumbled.

"Yeah, it's me," Adrian replied as he slid the deadbolt.

"Are you okay?" Sydney asked. She pushed herself up into a sitting position.

"Uh huh, great," he said as he walked past her. She heard him open up the refrigerator and with a sigh she got up and joined him in the kitchen.

"Do you really think drinking more is a good idea?" she asked, noting the bottle in his hand. Adrian had cut back quite a bit on his overall alcohol consumption, but occasionally had a drink here or there. This had never really bothered Sydney, but tonight more alcohol seemed like trouble.

"Okay, mom…oh, wait…my mom's in prison," he said as he took a swig from the bottle. "No wonder I'm so fucked up."

"Where were you?" Sydney asked, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Out," Adrian replied.

"Wow, thanks for the insight," Sydney said sarcastically.

"Sydney, tonight was awful…do you think you could lay off the questioning?" he asked her.

"Oh, right…it was only awful for you," Sydney replied.

"It wasn't your father making the comments…going behind your back," he insisted.

"Because my father has never done anything like that. Come on, Adrian…don't insult me like that," Sydney spat.

"I'm going to say good night to Hadley and go to bed. You can yell at me in the morning," Adrian said to her as he pushed himself away from the counter and started towards the hall.

"No, I don't think so," Sydney said and quickly grabbed him by the elbow.

"Excuse me?" Adrian asked.

"You're drunk…you're not going anywhere near her," Sydney said.

He shook his arm out of her grip. "You're not in charge of her," he replied.

"Tonight I am. You're in no condition to see her," she said.

"I'm probably not fit to be near anyone…ever. That's why you ran. That's why you didn't tell me about her. That's why Rose left. I should probably be locked away. Maybe the apple doesn't fall that far from the tree, huh?" he mumbled as he ran his fingers through his hair, pulling it slightly. "Everything is a mess and it just can't be cleaned…fixed…what's the word my father used? Contained. I need to be contained."

It was easy to see that Adrian's spirit was overpowering him at the moment. The alcohol wasn't helping either. While Sydney was mad at him, she was all worried too.

"Adrian, go lay down in the guest room, okay? You'll feel better in the morning," Sydney said.

"Tired…always tired," he mumbled as he continued his trek down the hall and into their spare room.

She followed behind wordlessly and once she was sure he asleep she shut the door and went to her own room.

…

"9:00?" Sydney mumbled to herself when she saw the clock the next morning. How could it be so late? Hadley normally woke up around 7:00. She was pretty good at entertaining herself, but she usually would come find Sydney or Adrian. Sydney got out of bed and grabbed her robe. She ventured into the hallway and saw the guest room door was open and the room was empty. She followed the sound of voices into the living room. There sat a much more refreshed Adrian with Hadley in his lap.

"Morning," Sydney said as she took a seat in the armchair.

"Hi mommy," Hadley said brightly. All traces of last night's nervousness were gone. "We're reading a story. I'm doing all the little words."

Sydney smiled. "Oh, that's very fun. You're such a smart girl," she said to her.

"Daddy came home late so I didn't hears him say good night," Hadley explained.

"Yeah, you were pretty tired," Sydney replied. "That's probably why you didn't hear him."

"Monkey, why don't you go pick out another book," Adrian suggested to her.

"Okays! Be right backs," Hadley said, scrambling out of his lap and then zooming down the hallway.

"So…how bad was I?" Adrian asked her. "Because if the headache I have right now is any indication…I must have been really bad."

"You can't do stuff like that, Adrian. Not only do Hadley and I rely on you…but we love you," Sydney said, not angry right now, just sad.

Adrian rubbed his hand over his face. "My dad…just…he didn't have any right to do that," he said.

"And I'm not saying he did. But you can't let him get to you like that. You're just feeding into him," Sydney said. "You're not the dumb kid he thinks you are. Prove him wrong."

Adrian nodded his head. "You're right. I know. I'm sorry…" he said softly.

Sydney wiped the tears collecting in the corners of her eyes. "I don't think you should drink anymore…"

"I dumped everything down the drain this morning," he said quickly. It broke his heart to see her so upset.

"Maybe you should talk to Dr. Brooks about the spirit again," she suggested.

"Why don't I talk to Lissa?" he offered.

She nodded. "Just talk to someone," she replied.

Adrian got up and sat down on the arm of the chair. "You have no idea how sorry I am. I can't even…" he struggled for what to say.

"You don't have to say you're sorry…just prove you mean it by rising above all this, okay?" Sydney said to him.

"Promise," he said. "Do you want some breakfast?" he asked.

"Yeah, just some toast and cereal or something," Sydney replied.

"Okay, I'll be right back," Adrian said and leaned down to kiss her forehead. "I love you."

"I love you too," Sydney said softly.

Hadley came back into the living room and settled next to Sydney while they waited for Adrian to bring in breakfast. They read for a little while until she spoke up, "When does I see the doctor again?" she asked.

"Not until Friday. That's three sleeps from now," Sydney explained. "Daddy's going to go with you."

"How many sleeps until the baby comes?" Hadley asked.

Sydney chuckled. "More than three," she said to her.

"Here you go, honey," Adrian said. He set down a tray in Sydney's lap and scooped Hadley back up.

"Thanks," Sydney replied and dug into her plate.

"Do you have any work to do today?" Adrian asked her.

"I was just going to answer some emails," Sydney replied. "But nothing pressing."

"We should do something then…go to the park or the library?" Adrian offered.

"Ooo oo library!" Hadley piped in.

Sydney chuckled. "I think you have your answer."


	5. Chapter 5

_Thank you for all your kind reviews._

Chapter Five

The rest of the day passed like any other. Sydney checked in at work while Adrian and Hadley got ready for their outing and then got ready herself when she was done. The family spent a few hours in the library before going home for Hadley's nap (and one for Sydney too).

"Aren't you tired?" Sydney asked Adrian when she found him sitting up next to her after she woke up. "You couldn't have slept much last night…or feel very good today," she said.

Adrian shrugged and rolled next to her so they were nose to nose. "Too much on my mind," he told her.

"What are we going to do about your dad?" she asked. Now that they were alone they could finish morning's conversation.

Adrian sighed and rolled over onto his back. "I guess we can't fault him for bringing in the specialist…despite his intentions behind that," he said. "But we have to tell both doctors they aren't to share any results or progress with him."

Sydney nodded her head. "Agreed," she replied.

"And I'll talk to him eventually. Just not anytime soon," Adrian replied. "There are much more important things that require my attention right now. You, Hadley, the baby."

She rubbed his arm with her palm. "I think that's reasonable," she said. She shook her head. "The things he said…that was hard to hear."

"I'm so sorry you had to," he said softly. "I'm never going to be like him."

"We'll just put last night behind us and move on," Sydney replied. "You're a much better man than that."

"I'm trying," he said looking down at her.

"And I'm here for you…always," she said sincerely.

"Thank you for forgiving me. I know I made a bad situation worse," Adrian said.

"Only good things ahead," Sydney said firmly. "What are you doing with your laptop?" she asked, spying it on the nightstand.

"Looking at baby names," he replied, sitting up and shifting the computer back onto his lap.

"Oh, yeah…we need one of those, huh?" she said with a chuckle.

"Two actually," he said. "Boy and girl." They had already decided regardless of the baby's gender his/her middle name would be the appropriate version of Sydney.

"Aubrey is pretty," she mused.

"I swear you know the baby is a girl," he said with a laugh.

"I do not!" Sydney insisted through a laugh of her own.

"We should have a few backups too," he said.

"In case the name doesn't fit once we see that baby?" she asked. She hadn't named Hadley until she had actually held her.

"That too," he replied. "But in case we decide to have more kids down the line we'll be prepared."

She chuckled. "How many kids are we having?" she asked.

He eyed her playfully. "I think you're ripe for at least four," he teased.

Sydney shook her head and laughed. "You're such a goof," she said.

He smiled and leaned over to press their lips together. "I love you…more than anything," he said softly.

"And I love you too," she said softly.

"We should start now," Adrian said, kissing her lips again.

Sydney chuckled against his lips. "You realize that since I'm pregnant I can't get…more pregnant," she said.

Adrian rolled his eyes. "Okay, I'm not an idiot. I just meant we could get some practice in," he replied.

"I'm not exactly at my sexiest right now," Sydney said. "And the logistics are a little…tough."

"Baby, you are gorgeous," Adrian said. "And as for the latter, I'm very creative."

Sydney laughed softly. "Oh, then by all means," she said as she threaded her fingers through his hair.

Adrian ducked out of his shirt and tossed it on the floor before he pecked her lips. He rested his hands on Sydney's hips settling himself over her. He slowly peeled her top away from her body, letting it join his on the floor. His fingers trailed over her now bare skin and nimbly unhooked her bra allowing her breasts to spill down toward his own chest.

He took a moment to admire the view before letting his hands slide back down, his fingers latching onto the inside of her waistband. Sydney lifted her hips up slightly so he could remove her jeans and panties in one fluid motion. She eagerly worked on the button on his pants and disrobed him as well.

It was very easy to see he still thought she was the sexiest woman alive. Sydney smiled, covering his mouth with hers as her hand wrapped around him.

"Oh, baby…" Adrian whined softly as her hand began its slow passes.

Before Sydney could utter a reply she felt his fingers slip inside of her. "Ah…" she gasped and pressed herself closer to his hand.

"Kiss," Adrian whispered and didn't wait for a reply before capturing her lips. Their tongues tangled battling for space against one another. They continued their kissing and touching at a frantic pace until Adrian stopped abruptly and dipped his head between her legs.

"What are you…oh," Sydney gasped, tipping her head as her eyes nearly rolled back in her head as Adrian's tongue snaked inside of her. She grasped the hair on the back of his neck as her hips rolled forward.

Adrian started out lazily, passing his tongue in and out slowly and stopping every so often to kiss the inside of her thighs.

Sydney's breath came out in quick pants. "Oh, god…Adrian…yes," she gasped.

Her encouragement was all Adrian needed to delve in deeper. Within seconds she let herself go. He pulled his mouth away from her and slid his wet tongue along to gather up any excess.

He grinned up at her. "Told you I could be creative."


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter Six

At the request of Mr. Casey, Sydney needed to venture a few hours outside of Court to give final approval to a new sculpture he was interested in. Since the trip could be made by car Sydney's doctor gave to her permission to travel as long as she didn't drive herself. Hadley had a session with the doctors today so Adrian had to stay behind to be with her. Brett would be accompanying Sydney to the gallery. Since her sleep pattern was reversed due to the nocturnal vampire schedule she was on she made the appointment as 'early' in the vampire day as she could, which had her leaving court at 3pm.

She got ready as quietly as she could since her husband and daughter were still asleep. She gave Adrian a quick kiss good-bye before she and Brett were on the road.

"If you want to sleep you can go ahead," Brett assured her.

Sydney chuckled a little. "I'd probably have no problem nodding off, but I don't want to be groggy when I get there," she said to him.

"I suppose bed head wouldn't make the best impression anyway," Brett agreed with a laugh.

"Have you ever ventured out into the human world?" Sydney asked curiously. She hardly knew anything about her guardian.

"A few times, but not often. One of my field training tests took place at a mall," Brett explained. "Is it hard for you to be out of the human world?"

"At first, yes, but I'm used to it now. For a long time most of my interactions in the human world were with vampires so I guess I've always been a part of their world anyway," she said to him.

"I know I'm probably speaking out of turn, but I was surprised to find out you were once an Alchemist," he said to her. "Not that I don't think you're capable…just that…"

"I'm married to a Moroi?" Sydney guessed the end of this thought.

"Well, yes," Brett replied.

"Adrian and I have quite a complicated history," Sydney agreed. "And it's definitely not the norm."

"It doesn't seem like Adrian's father is too happy about it," Brett commented.

"Gee, what gave that away?" she replied with a chuckle.

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't be asking you these questions," Brett apologized.

Sydney shook her head. "No, it's fine," she assured him. "A lot of the older Moroi don't approve, but I like to think Adrian and I are setting the stage for what's to come," she said.

"Still it must be hard on you both," Brett said.

"We have a family of our own now and that's where our focus is," Sydney said. "But it is hard. And it's a process. I didn't want Hadley to know about it at first," she admitted.

"And Adrian was okay with that?" Brett asked.

"Adrian didn't know about Hadley for a long time. I lived in Chicago and was out of touch with him," Sydney revealed.

"Oh, I didn't know," Brett said.

"Yeah, it was a mistake on my part," Sydney said. "I didn't think he could handle it because of his spirit and since I left the Alchemists I didn't want to get involved in this world again."

"Wow, he had to be pretty upset," Brett commented.

"He was…sometimes I think he still is. Not necessarily at me, but at himself for missing those first years with her…which is totally ridiculous because it was all my fault, but that's how he is," Sydney said to him.

Brett and Sydney exchanged more chatter about Adrian, Hadley, and then eventually about Brett and his family. His mother lived in a commune and sent him to St. Vladimir's when he was very young. They kept in touch, but rarely saw each other. He only met his father once when he was a teenager. Before they knew it they were at the gallery.

"You can pretend you're my assistant or something," Sydney suggested. She didn't want Brett to have to sit in the car or lurk around the gallery awkwardly.

"Oh, fancy," he said with a chuckle. He got Sydney's briefcase out the trunk and then helped her out of the car and into the building.

The whole meeting took less than thirty minutes. The pair then stopped for lunch before heading back to Court. Sydney was exhausted and slept on the ride home. She woke up a few times and thought she heard Brett on the phone, but she couldn't be sure.

Once they were back at Court Sydney went inside and quickly emailed Mr. Casey to tell her the piece would be shipped to him by the beginning of next week. She took a quick shower and settled on the couch to wait for Adrian and Hadley to get back from her session. She flipped on the television and ended up dozing off again. She awoke to the front door opening.

"Oh, you're home…" Adrian said when he saw Sydney on the couch.

"Is that not allowed?" Sydney asked. She started to chuckle, but then noticed that Hadley's face was tear stained and puffy. "What's wrong?" she asked, looking from Hadley to Adrian.


	7. Chapter 7

_Thank you for all the sweet reviews!_

Chapter Seven

"It's not a big deal," Adrian assured Sydney. "Had, why don't you go to your room?" he suggested softly.

"No," Hadley said stubbornly and crawled up onto the couch next to her mother.

"What's not a big deal?" Sydney asked. She couldn't fit Hadley in her lap, but she wrapped her arm around her shoulders.

"No one was theres when I was done withs the doctor," Hadley said, starting to get upset all over again.

"Shh, shh…don't cry, Hadley. It's okay," Sydney said softly. She shot Adrian a very confused look.

Instead of answering her Adrian knelt down in front of Hadley. "That won't happen again, okay?" he said softly. "I promise, promise, promise I'm always going to be there for you."

"I don't want you to goes away," Hadley sniffled. She buried her face against Sydney's side.

Sydney rubbed Hadley's back and whispered reassurances to her until she tired herself out and fell asleep. Sydney covered her with a blanket on the back of the couch and got up to her feet. Adrian followed her into the kitchen.

"I swear I was only gone for like twenty minutes," Adrian said.

"Gone? Why were you gone?" Sydney asked him.

"I had to take care of a client. I didn't think it would take as long as it did," Adrian replied.

"Are you saying you left her alone during the session?" Sydney asked.

"She was with the doctors and Avery was there. And nothing happened. I just wasn't there when the session was over. I was like five minutes late," Adrian said.

"Adrian, we have ONE rule…one of us is always there with her during these things. You know I don't trust those doctors," Sydney said.

"THOSE doctors?" he asked her. "So if she was with human doctors you wouldn't have an issue?"

"I didn't say that!" Sydney hissed. "You made the mistake. You know how sensitive she is."

"And whose fault is that?" Adrian asked. "It's your fault she thinks I'm never going to be around."

"Do not turn this around on me," Sydney snapped. "Did you have…" she started and then stopped herself.

"Did I have…what?" Adrian asked. Sydney didn't reply and then he spoke up, "Were you going to ask me if I had something to drink?"

"It's a legitimate question," she said.

"I would never do that when I was with her. I can't believe you'd even ask that," Adrian said.

"And I can't believe you left her there," Sydney replied.

Adrian slid his fingers through his hair. "I screwed up, okay? I'm sorry. I apologized to her and I'm apologizing to you and it's over. It's done," he said and with that he went into his studio and slammed the door.

…

Sydney and Adrian spent the rest of the weekend avoiding each other. He stayed holed up in his studio, only coming out to eat and visit with Hadley while Sydney busied herself with emailing the temp who would be taking her place while she was on maternity leave.

On Monday morning, Jill, Eddie, Brett, and Sydney headed to see Dr. Brooks and Dr. Smirnov. As usual, the adults retired to the other room, but instead of joining them Eddie remained posted outside the door.

"You and Adrian have to make up," Jill said to her.

"We're not exactly fighting," Sydney replied.

"I know...you're not talking, which is almost worse," Jill said. "My head hurts so bad it's hard to function."

"I'm sorry," Sydney said sympathetically. She could only imagine how hard it was to constantly be inside Adrian's mind.

"He's really upset with himself about what he did," Jill added.

"I know he is," Sydney said with a sigh.

Before the conversation could continue Dr. Brooks' voice came in through the speaker system. "Sydney, could you join us in the lab," he requested.

Sydney frowned and looked through the window. Hadley was chatting with Dr. Smirnov and didn't seem to be in any type of distress. Sydney and Jill both walked into the lab. "Is everything okay?" Sydney asked.

Dr. Smirnov excused himself from Hadley and walked over to join Sydney and Jill. "May I speak freely in front of the princess?" he asked.

"Of course," Sydney said and nodded her head.

"Obviously you know about Hadley's ability to levitate objects," Dr. Smirnov said.

"Yes, and that ability is much more controlled now that she's been working with Dr. Brooks," Sydney replied.

"I think there's more to it than just levitation," Dr. Smirnov continued.

"What do you mean?" Jill asked curiously.

"I think Hadley can communicate through her mind," he explained.

"You think she's telepathic?" Sydney asked him. This wasn't anything she had been expecting to hear.

Dr. Smirnov nodded his head eagerly. "And I believe you might be too," he said.

"Me?" Sydney asked in disbelief. "Wouldn't I have realized that about myself?"

The doctor shook his head. "Not necessarily," he replied.

"How did you come to this conclusion?" Jill asked.

"The tests you and Adrian took before Hadley started working with Dr. Brooks. I reviewed them and judging by your answers I think your telepathy is untapped. I ran Hadley through a similar series of questions and her answers match yours," Dr. Smirnov explained.

"Wow, I just…never…this is a lot to hear," Sydney stammered.

"There are some tests I'd like to run," Dr. Smirnov said. "Tests for both you and Hadley."

"Dr. Smirnov, I respect your theory, but I don't think right now is the best time for me to be undergoing any tests. And I'd need to talk to my husband about tests on Hadley first," Sydney said to him.

Dr. Smirnov looked at her like he couldn't believe she was hesitating. "But we'd be wasting time," he said.

Sydney narrowed her eyes. "This is a big decision," she said to him. "I'm not taking any of this lightly…and I don't think you should either."

"But think of the possibilities for both you and Hadley and your new baby," Dr. Smirnov pressed.

"I am thinking about myself and my children, which is why I don't think this is the right step for us right now," Sydney said firmly.

"Sydney, I really don't think you understand," Dr. Smirnov started.

Dr. Brooks interrupting, cutting off Dr. Smirnov's comment. "I think she understands," he said gently. "Why don't you take Hadley home now? We're done for today."

"Thank you," Sydney said as Jill went over to scoop up Hadley.

"You're making a mistake," Dr. Smirnov said, glaring at Sydney.

"Alexander, please," Dr. Brooks said and gave Sydney a sympathetic look.

"We'll talk again on Friday," Sydney said and with that left the room.


	8. Chapter 8

_Thank you for the reviews and follows. They meant a lot to me!_

Chapter Eight

"So not only is Dr. Smirnov hot, but he's crazy," Jill said once they were far enough away from the lab. "Interesting."

"Good for you for holding your own," Brett complimented her.

"My God, the idea of poking around in someone's head is scary…why would someone bully you into?" Sydney scoffed.

"What's wrong with my heads?" Hadley asked, pressing her palms onto the sides of her skull.

"Nothing, sweetheart," Jill assured her and kissed her forehead.

Not wanting to upset Hadley they dropped the subject. Jill stayed with Sydney for awhile that afternoon until she left to finish up some homework. Adrian emerged from the studio not long after that.

"How'd it go?" he asked, sitting on the armchair across from Sydney.

"Not good," Sydney replied. "Dr. Smirnov seems to think Hadley and I are both telepathic."

"Seriously?" he asked. "That's never come up before…"

"I'm not sure what his science is based on, but he's interested in poking in both my head and hers," Sydney replied.

"Dr. Brooks has mentioned brain waves and stuff before," Adrian replied.

"And I told him that would be something we'd consider after the baby was born for me and I'm not sure about Hadley at all," Sydney said.

"Why wouldn't you want to for her? Don't you want to understand what's going on in her head?" Adrian asked.

Sydney made a face. He had never been so pushy about this before. "She's not dangerous," she said.

"I just think it might be good to know what we're dealing with," Adrian replied.

"Who are you…your father? There's nothing wrong with her. She doesn't need to be fixed," Sydney snapped.

"Don't get upset with me," Adrian snapped back. "I'm trying to have a conversation with you. Besides maybe my father had the right idea."

"I think I liked it better when you were hiding in your studio," Sydney huffed.

"At least I wasn't getting lectured to in there," Adrian said. He got up and headed towards the door. "Come find me when you're ready to discuss this. Otherwise just leave me alone. I have one child right now and I wasn't expecting to deal with another for about a month."

Sydney stared at his back as he walked out of room. Partially because of that conversation, partially because of the events earlier in the day, and partially because her hormones were out of wack she started to cry. She could barely recognize her life these days and that was the scarier than any test the doctors wanted to run.

…

The final ruling passed unanimously early the next week. While many Moroi were upset, those who supported the change were happy for the start of this new era. Though Sydney was pleased for her friends, the last thing she wanted to do was go to the Court celebration. But being married to a royal came with certain obligations and her attendance at the party was mandatory. Hadley was going to remain behind with a baby sitter while Sydney and Adrian were gone. The pair had hardly spoken to each other all week so tonight was going to be rather unbearable.

As soon as they made it inside the great hall Adrian made a beeline for the bar. Sydney rolled her eyes and looked for Jill. She was able to spot her near the head table surrounded by a number of older Moroi. Hmm, so much for talking to friendly face.

"Do you need anything?" Brett asked her. Her guardian was so good at his job she had forgotten he was there.

Sydney shook her head. "No, I think I'm okay," she said. She found the table she was assigned to and sat down. She was two weeks away from her due date and even more tired than usual.

"Just let me know," Brett said. He started to retreat back, but Sydney stopped him.

"We could talk for a bit," she suggested. The evening would pass even slower if she didn't have company. "When are you going to find out your final assignment?"

"Are you that eager to get rid of me?" Brett joked.

Sydney chuckled. "As odd as I thought having a guardian might be I'm kind of attached to you now," she replied.

"What about Avery?" he asked her.

"Her…not so much," Sydney admitted. "But don't tell her I said that. She's pretty tough."

"My lips are sealed," Brett promised her. "As for your question, I won't find out my final placement for a few weeks. The advisors have to tabulate how well we did during this assignment."

Sydney nodded her head. "Well, if they ask for my opinion I'll be sure to let them know how great you've been," she said.

Brett smiled brightly. "Thank you. Coming from you that would mean a lot," he said.

"I'd only be telling the truth," Sydney assured him. "Oh!" she exclaimed.

"What? Is something wrong?" Brett asked her.

"No, no…just the baby moving," Sydney said, placing her hand on her belly. "He…she…is getting into position."

"How much longer until he…she…is born?" he asked her, relaxing now.

"Less than two weeks," Sydney said to him.

"I bet you're very excited," Brett replied.

"You have no idea," Sydney said with a chuckle. The chuckle faded when she thought about how far apart she and Adrian were at the moment.

Before Brett could speak up an older guardian came to escort Sydney towards the front of the room to join Adrian for Lissa's speech. She begrudgingly got up and made her way towards the other royals. She tried to find Adrian, but couldn't locate him.

"I'll check the rest room," Brett said.

"Thanks…" Sydney said. She felt a little nervous now. Where was he? She wandered into the hallway and scanned the mostly empty area. She was about to turn around when her eyes landed on Avery's familiar cropped haircut. Wherever Adrian was Avery was never far behind. As she made her way towards the female guardian she heard Adrian's voice. Oh, good. She could get him and get this over with.

"Adrian, they need us…" Sydney trailed off when her husband didn't respond. This mouth was a little busy at the moment as his fangs sank into Avery's exposed neck.


	9. Chapter 9

_Thank you very much for the reviews and follows._

Chapter Nine

Adrian's eyes flickered up when he heard her voice. Sydney stepped backward, almost tripping over the hem of her dress. She was sick to her stomach. This couldn't possibly be happening.

"Sydney, I…" Adrian said to her, looking bewildered. He started to walk towards her as Avery sank into a nearby chair. Her palm covered the fresh set of bite marks on her skin. There was a look of pure bliss on her face.

"I think you need to stay right where you are," Sydney said when she was finally able to speak. She stayed backed up against the wall behind her.

"That was not what it looked like," he said. His eyes were blinking rapidly.

"No, no…I'm pretty sure it was exactly what it looked like," she said slowly. "How could you do this?"

"But I didn't do it," Adrian said to her. "Please, I'm confused…" He reached for her again

Sydney recoiled. "I don't know if you're drunk or it's the spirit or you think I'm a total moron, but don't you dare touch me," she said.

"Then at least hear me out," Adrian begged.

"No, you're going to hear me out. You and I are husband and wife. I know things are complicated right now, but what you just did…we can't come back from that," Sydney hissed at him.

"But I didn't," Adrian started to protest.

"So she bit herself?" Sydney asked him. "You can't lie your way out of this one, Adrian. You can't make up some cute excuse. You can't charm me. You cheated on me!" she exclaimed. "How could you? We have a life together! A family! Are you so much of a disgusting pig that you couldn't go without some kind of affection for a week?"

"Please, Sydney…I need to sit down. We need to talk…" Adrian stammered.

"I think the damage is much too severe…" Sydney said. She turned around, looking for Brett, but he wasn't there. She could hear Lissa inside the room in the midst of her speech. It looked like she was on her own.

Leaving Adrian's pleas as background noise Sydney made her way outside and back to their apartment. The baby sitter was startled to see her back so early. Sydney paid her and thanked the young woman as she pushed her out the door.

She went into her bedroom and haphazardly threw clothes and toiletries into a duffel bag. She had to get out of this apartment. She had to get out of this place. She reached into her purse for her cell phone and called ahead to the Ivashkov pilot.

"Yes, this is Mrs. Ivashkov," she said. "I need you to be ready in thirty minutes." She paused when he asked the final destination. "Chicago," she replied.

…

Sydney sat on the edge of Hadley's bed and watched the little girl sleep. She knew she should probably get some sleep herself, but she was much too keyed up at the moment. With most of Court at the great hall celebrating it had been easy to leave unnoticed. Thankfully Hadley had slept through the plane ride. She was too tired to ask any questions for the few moments she had been awake.

Going to Chicago seemed like the only option. She and Adrian hadn't sold their old place yet so she had somewhere to stay. If she had gone home to her mother's place there would have been too many questions. She needed time to think. Once she had the strength to get up she left Hadley and walked into the hallway.

And that was when everything went black.

…

Sydney felt like someone was pounding a drum inside of her brain. Her head throbbed as she blinked her eyes open. She didn't recognize her surroundings. "Hadley?" she croaked.

"Your daughter is fine, Sydney," Dr. Brooks said to her.

Sydney slowly turned her head and saw the older Moroi standing in the corner of the room. As she got her bearing she realized she was in some kind of lab. "Are we at Court?" she asked.

Dr. Brooks shook his head no.

Sydney slowly pushed herself up into a sitting position. "What's going on?" she asked him. The second she was upright she wished she was lying down again. Every part of her body ached.

"You're in one of my private laboratories," the doctor said her. "I needed to get you away from Court."

"Why?" Sydney asked. She tried to look for Hadley, but even moving her eyes hurt.

"You've always been so stubborn about being tested. I knew the only way to get you to cooperate was by force, but I couldn't just kidnap you," Dr. Brooks said.

"What have you done?" Sydney asked him.

"I had Brett help me. You would not believe how easy it is to manipulate a power hungry Dhampir. All I had to do was promise him a plum final assignment and he was putty in my hands," Dr. Brooks said. "He gave me information about what was going on in your house. From there it was easy for me to compel Adrian."

"You've been compelling Adrian?" Sydney asked him.

"I had to. I had to drive you apart," Dr. Brooks said. "Brett told me what made you tick in regards to him. Then I knew what buttons to push."

That explained a lot. The drinking, when he left Hadley at her session alone, the incident with Avery. Adrian hadn't been in control…Dr. Brooks had.

"I knew you'd run back to Chicago. I wasn't sure when you'd leave, though. That part was a little tricky. Lucky for me Dhampirs are easy enough to pay off when you need information. $50 later I knew you had flown out," Dr. Brooks said.

"Is Dr. Smirnov here?" she asked. Was he a part of this too?

"That fool?" Dr. Brooks scoffed. "He was my scapegoat. Everyone at Court thinks he's the one pushing you towards controversial tests. No one suspects me. I'm sure they're questioning him about your whereabouts right now."

"What are you going to do to me?" Sydney asked him. If she kept him talking maybe she could come up with a plan. She needed time.

"What I wanted to do back at Court. There's a battery of tests I can run to find out what in your genetic make up that makes you and your children so unique," he explained.

"Then what?" Sydney asked, almost too afraid to hear the rest.

"Then I can isolate that gene and produce others like you," Dr. Brooks explained. "It will be my greatest accomplishment."

"How do you know this is going to work?" Sydney asked him.

"Well, I don't…" Dr. Brooks said, pushing Sydney back on the table and covering her face with a mask.

"Help!" Sydney screamed as she tried to fight him, but it was useless.

"Don't bother screaming. No one knows we're here," he said.

She was unconscious within a few seconds.


	10. Chapter 10

_Thank you to everyone who followed all these stories from the beginning. I hope you enjoy the conclusion._

Chapter Ten

"Sydney…Sydney…" Adrian called out.

Sydney looked around. She was back at Court. How could that be? "Adrian?" she called back. The room looked fuzzy around the edges. It took her a second to realize she was inside a spirit dream.

"I didn't think I was ever going to find you!" Adrian said. "Honey, where are you? Is Hadley with you?"

"Yes, she's with me. We're both okay…I think," Sydney said. She rubbed her forehead. "It's hard to focus."

"Oh, thank God! Baby, where are you? What's going on?" Adrian asked her.

"I don't know…I don't know where we are," Sydney said. Adrian kept fading in and out in front of her. "Something's wrong."

"Tell me what happened after you left the great hall," Adrian encouraged her.

Sydney closed her eyes and tried to think. "Hadley and I left…I was so upset. We went back to the apartment in Chicago," she said to him.

"Okay, good…that's good, baby. Is there anything you can tell me about where you are?" he asked her.

"A lab…some kind of lab. Adrian, why is it so hard to think?" she asked him, panicking now.

"You're just scared," Adrian said, trying his best to be reassuring. "They're questioning Dr. Smirnov right now. Jill told them how he threatened you. They'll get him to crack and then we'll come get you."

"No!" Sydney exclaimed.

"No, what?" Adrian asked her.

"It's not him!" Sydney said. Adrian faded away again. "No, Adrian! Come back!"

"Sydney! Sydney!" Adrian called, but his voice sounded faint.

The walls of the room they were in began to dissolve. "Adrian! Adrian!" she screamed.

Sydney was jolted awake, no longer in the spirit dream. She clutched her stomach. Something was wrong. The baby! She was in labor! She opened her mouth to scream, but was suddenly overcome by darkness before she could even try.

…

"Sydney…Sydney…" Adrian's voice said softly.

Sydney slowly blinked open her eyes and tried to focus on her husband.

A look of relief washed over his face. "Hi pretty…" he whispered. He leaned over and kissed her forehead. "It's okay…you're okay."

"Hadley…the baby…" she stammered. She tried to look around. Where were they? She looked down to find her baby bump no longer there.

"Hadley's fine. The baby is fine," Adrian said. He brushed a few strands of hair out of her face. "Everyone is fine."

"I can't remember…what…what happened?" Sydney asked him. "The baby…" she said again.

"The baby is right there," he said and pointed to a bassinet on the other side of the bed. "A little girl. A perfect little girl."

Sydney let out a sigh of relief. "Oh, thank God…" she said softly.

Adrian helped her sit up so she could see the infant. Just like he said a perfectly pink baby girl was fast asleep beside her. Sydney collapsed against Adrian, resting her weight on him. He wrapped his arms around her to support her.

"How did you find us?" Sydney asked.

"Once I got out of the dream I found Brett. He told me everything," he said.

"He just told you?" she asked.

"Well, some compulsion might have been involved," Adrian replied. "My dad's kind of an expert."

"Your father helped?" Sydney asked in disbelief.

"I know. I was just as shocked as you are, but he came through for us," Adrian said.

"Wait, Dr. Brooks said no one knew where we were. Did Brett know?" she asked.

"No, Brett didn't. Dr. Brooks might be a nut but it turns out…well, he was right about Hadley's telepathy," he said.

"What?" she asked, quite alarmed.

"I tried to reach out to her mind, but something was blocking me," Adrian said to her. "So Dr. Smirnov told me to stop fighting what was keeping me out and when I did she got into my head. I don't think she realized she was doing it, but she was able to tell me enough so we could figure out where you were."

"I can't believe this," she said. She ran her fingers through her hair. "Dr. Brooks…he told me he compelled you to do all those things," Sydney said. "I'm so sorry I didn't believe you. If I hadn't gotten so upset…"

"None of this is your fault," Adrian said softly. "He manipulated all of us."

"What happened to him?" Sydney asked.

"He's going to be tried and punished. Put away for a very long time," Adrian assured her. "Brett too."

"But we're okay. Everyone's okay," Sydney said with a sigh of relief.

"Well, not everything is okay," Adrian said.

A look of panic washed over Sydney's face. "What…what's wrong?" she asked.

Adrian got up and scooped the baby out of her bassinet. He settled next to Sydney and slid her into her arms. "She needs a name," he said.

Sydney relaxed as she looked down at her daughter. "Oh, that I can handle," she said.

"You said you liked Aubrey," Adrian said.

"Hmm," Sydney said, tilting her head to the side. "No, she doesn't look like an Aubrey."

Adrian leaned down to kiss the baby's forehead. "Maybe Hadley had the right idea with Max," he said.

Sydney nodded. "Max Sydney…I like it," she agreed. She looked up at him and smiled.

"Now that that is settled," Adrian said. "You have to make me a promise."

"What's that?" she asked.

"No more getting kidnapped…between you and Hadley I'm going to have heart failure," he said.

Sydney chuckled. "Okay, I promise. Everything is going to be perfect from here on out."

"I'm going to go get Hadley," Adrian said. He pecked Sydney's lips and headed out into the hallway. "Love you."

"I love you too," she said. Sydney turned her attention back to Max while she waited. She couldn't take her eyes off her.

"Mommy! Mommy!" Hadley said as she barreled in the room.

Adrian pulled her back by the collar of her shirt. "Monkey, we have to be quiet," he gently scolded her.

"Oh, sorrys," Hadley whispered. With Adrian's help she settled on the bed next to her mother and sister. "Hi, hi."

"Hi, Had," Sydney said. She leaned down to kiss her cheek. "Daddy told me how brave you were and how you helped him find us."

Hadley nodded her head. "I closed my eyes and thinked really hard and there was daddy!" she exclaimed. "Dr. S. is gonna helps me with my thinking. I likes him."

"I like him too and I think that's a very good idea," Sydney said.

Jill poked her head in. "Room for a few more?" she asked.

Sydney looked past Jill and saw Eddie, her parents, her sisters, Kenzie, and Mr. Ivashkov. She smiled brightly. "Of course…the more the merrier," she said.

Sydney turned to Adrian and gave him a smile and he smiled back at her as the room filled up. She had never felt quite as loved as she did at this moment.

Nothing was ever going to tear their family apart.

The End


End file.
